Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Face Off for Colts’ Starting Quarterback Job
In this story:
The Colts are sitting at a crossroads. Anthony Richardson is their promising young quarterback, but he has become hurt, once again. They signed Daniel Jones as so he now leads the quarterback competition by default. As far as the Colts opening preseason game, Richardson looked good in his debut and I would have said that he would be leading this competition, but that seems to have flipped. As we have two games left, it still remains to be decided who will be the Week 1 starter in Indianapolis.
The Competition
Daniel Jones was brought in with an approach of testing Anthony Richardson. I do not ever believe that Shane Steichen saw Jones as a long term option. His goal was to bring the best out of Richardson. If he fails, Jones is not the worst option out there.
As it currently stands, Daniel Jones is getting the start on Saturday versus the Packers. Luckily, Richardson is not too hurt and so he will take over to play a bulk of snaps once Jones exits the game. This appears to point that Daniel Jones is leading the quarterback battle.
Projecting the Result
Shane Steichen has emphasized that this week of joint practice will be huge for this team. Richardson has a big opportunity to stand out and if he goes into Saturday and leaves with a nice stat-line, he very well may shift the lead in this competition.
I expect that the Colts will want to know their starter sooner than later. Steichen runs an abstract offense and the team has many weapons to get in sync. Chemistry will be vital to success of this offense and they cannot afford to wait too long to slot in a full time quarterback.
The team's offense consists of:
RB: Jonathan Taylor
WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, AD Mitchell, Ashton Dulin
TE: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox
As seen above, this is a very deep offense of weapons that will be utilized often. Chemistry will not be seamless, and it must be built. This is why they cannot wait until September to make the decision at quarterback.
My Projection:
Though it appears to be leaning towards Jones, I think that Anthony Richardson is going to win over the starting role. I liked what I saw in their preseason debut and he has the chemistry that Daniel Jones does not. Upon struggles, the starting job may very well flip, but for now I think that Richardson is the best option at quarterback.
As for fantasy purposes, both players are viable, mobile options in a Shane Steichen offense. That being said, I would not deem them as trustworthy either. These are better bench, depth pieces than true starters. The upside for ARich is massive, but comes with risk for the time being.
I hate these corporate answers...
#Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter on the quarterback competition:
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) August 11, 2025
"We expected competition to bring out the best in both of them and that's what we're seeing." pic.twitter.com/V4evcfbe1l
More Fantasy Sports on SI News:
Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.